Case Studies

MSO Focus

As vendors and service providers recognized the benefits of PONs, there was a rush to develop system architectures. While there are several forms of PON, two predominant architectures emerged over time.

The first was based on Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and became known as APON (for ATM Passive Optical Network). APON evolved into Broadband PON (BPON) during the development of the ITU-T G.983 standards for APON. BPON added support for WDM, dynamic and higher upstream bandwidth allocation and survivability. It also created a standard management interface, called OMCI, between the OLT and ONU/ONT, enabling mixed-vendor networks. As the industry moved on to the ITU-T G.984 standard, APON/BPON became known as GPON (Gigabit PON).

The second form of PON that became prevalent was EPON (for Ethernet Passive Optical Network). EPON is based on the IEEE 802.3ah EFM standard using Ethernet for packet data. As the IEEE standards process coalesced around Gigabit Ethernet bandwidth levels, EPON started to be known as GE-PON (for Gigabit Ethernet PON). IEEE is currently working on a 10GE-PON (10 Gigabit Ethernet PON) standard. The IEEE Task Force is working to ensure backwards-compatibility with IEEE 802.3ah EPON. 10GE-PON will likely be based on Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM).

These disparate architectures reflect the technical orientation of the vendors who created them (ATM vs. Ethernet), the backgrounds of the standards bodies involved (ITU vs. IEEE) and the service providers for whom the products were intended (Telco vs. MSO). Vendors who are focused on traditional “baby bell” carriers like Verizon created solutions based on ATM because that is the predominant protocol in the Telco carrier environment. By contrast, vendors that develop solutions for the Multiple Systems Operator (MSO) market created products based on Ethernet, as cable networks are typically based on Internet Protocol (IP) where Ethernet is a natural fit.

As Ethernet matures as a protocol in this carrier environment, we are witnessing the creation of a multitude of advanced IP-based services for business customers and consumers. MSOs are leveraging their existing fiber networks to deliver advanced services to businesses. Standards-compliant EPON systems are ideally-suited for the high-speed transmission of voice and data – the most critical applications for business customers. Moreover, as MSOs expand their service offerings to consumers, EPON systems can easily deliver IPTV, High Speed Internet Access and Voice over IP (VOIP). By using a future-proof EPON system to deliver these triple play offerings to consumers, MSOs create new revenue opportunities while reducing churn as switching costs increase for consumers.

Salira Systems, Inc. is working closely with MSOs like Brighthouse Networks to develop differentiated product offerings for business customers and consumers. Salira has developed a high-level of domain expertise in the MSO market that can be applied to cable networks of differing sizes and levels of complexity. To learn how Salira’s products can improve the technical and financial performance of your business, contact our sales team using the email form in Contact Us or simply call (408) 845-5200.